International
The number of children killed in conflicts tripled in 2023, the United Nations denounces
The number of children who died in global conflicts tripled in 2023 compared to the previous year, and the number of women doubled, denounced on Tuesday the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, in his update on the situation of fundamental freedoms on the planet.
In total, the civilian victims in the multiple conflicts that ravage the planet in places such as Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Burma, Syria or Yemen, among many others, grew by 72%, Türk said at the opening of the 56th session of the Human Rights Council, citing statistics from the office he heads.
“It is disheartening to see how the different parties to the conflict exceed the limits of the acceptable and legal on many fronts, with a total contempt for the other, trampling on human rights,” the head of human rights told the delegations of the United Nations member states.
Faced with this, “the murder of civilians has become a daily routine, as well as the destruction of infrastructure. Children who are shot, hospitals bombed, heavy artillery against entire communities,” he denounced.
Türk gave as a first example of these abuses the situation in Gaza, where he recalled that 120,000 people have been killed or injured in eight months of Israeli attacks.
“The relentless attacks in Gaza are causing immense suffering and widespread destruction, and the arbitrary obstruction of humanitarian aid continues. Israel continues to arbitrarily detain thousands of Palestinians. This cannot continue,” Türk said, recalling that UN reports indicate that Israel and Hamas could be committing war crimes.
The Austrian also stressed that since in May Israel intensified its operations in Rafah, in the southern end of the Gaza Strip and the last refuge for many Palestinians who left their homes in areas further north, “more than a million Palestinians have necessarily had to move once again.”
In the war in Ukraine, the High Commissioner expressed his concern about the deterioration of the country’s situation after two and a half years of Russian invasion and particularly denounced the situation in Kharkov, where the recent Russian land offensive “has destroyed entire communities.”
“Many inhabitants, mostly elderly, hide in the basements, without electricity, water or adequate food, while the area suffers intense attacks with explosives,” said the Austrian.
Türk also recalled that the repeated waves of large-scale attacks by Russia against energy infrastructure have destroyed 68% of Ukraine’s electricity production capacity, “placing the system at a point of no return, especially for the winter.”
But Türk also alluded to other conflicts less present in the headlines and televisions, in places such as the Sahel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Haiti or Sudan, the latter country that according to the High Commissioner “is being destroyed before our eyes.”
The generals at the head of the two sides in conflict in Sudan “have responsibility in the commission of possible war crimes and other atrocities,” including ethnic attacks and sexual violence, he said.
“They are ultimately responsible for the impact of their actions on civilians, with effects such as mass displacement, the threat of famine, or an ever-increasing humanitarian disaster,” said the high commissioner.
At other levels that do not yet reach the open conflict, Türk also warned on Tuesday about the speeches “that turn migrants into scapegoats,” something that in his opinion has become common “between populists and the extreme right” in electoral campaigns in Europe, North America and other regions.
He also denounced setbacks in the situation of women and girls from various countries, with flagrant examples in Iran and Afghanistan, where they suffer serious violations of their fundamental freedoms.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
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